“We have always done it that way!” is a statement heard all too often when asking why an organization does things the way it does. The fallacy in that approach is obvious when considering that a successful business operations, like anything else, must adapt with the times, and to continue to do things as before can have huge repercussions. Surprisingly, the insight originates, not from management, but new employees. Business owners should learn to recognize the value of the fresh outlook that new employees can bring to the organization.
In many cases, the usual approach to doing business just does not seem to make much sense to new staff members, but if told enough times “we always do it that way,” one of two things will occur. First, they may try to change the status quo, however, if they are discouraged from making changes enough times, they may either go with the flow, or simply choose to leave the organization.
Businesses should be looking at everything they do to determine if their actions are getting results and reveal the revisions necessary to achieve objectives. A critical analysis should be continued to examine all aspects of an operation, from employee recruitment to the delivery of product. A careful analysis should include policies, organizational structure, production processes and any other activity the organization undertakes. Additionally, an organization should create a benchmark to measure itself against other organizations, whether in the same industry or not.
One local organization wondered why it was unable to recruit good people. The organization did an excellent job of recruiting and identifying qualified employees but their internal hiring approval process took so long that many of the applicants had already accepted positions elsewhere. The approval process typically required one or two weeks to obtain the inordinate number of approval signatures deemed necessary. Adding to the problem, the individuals whose signatures were required were located at several different sites, time winding through the corporate mail. Although, the company had always done its recruitment that way, its inability to make rapid hiring decisions proved costly when several potentially valuable employees were lost to the delays. Clearly, change was necessary.
The entire process from job posting to the new employee’s first day was tracked and analyzed in great detail, including the time spent in the company mail system, sitting at someone’s desk, compiling the job offer, and conducting the necessary background checks. In the end, the company reduced the number of signatures needed, and converted paper forms to electronic documents that could be reviewed and approved online, thus, reducing turnaround time from weeks to days. Change is seldom easy, and often creates some angst within an organization, but in today’s increasing competitive business environment, companies must remain nimble, adapting and evolving whenever necessary. The challenge is to become proactive to the need for change and not be satisfied with hearing, “We’ve always done it that way.”